Growing up I was a huge fan of the Sunday comics. There were quite a few that I read daily, one of which was Calvin and Hobbes. This book was suggested to me by a friend who knew I liked the strip.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw the title, but it became clear after I started reading. Before I go on, here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

For ten years, Calvin and Hobbes was one the world’s most beloved comic strips. And then, on the last day of 1995, the strip ended. Its mercurial and reclusive creator, Bill Watterson, not only finished the strip but withdrew entirely from public life.

In Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, Nevin Martell sets out on a very personal odyssey to understand the life and career of the intensely private man behind Calvin and Hobbes. Martell talks to a wide range of artists and writers (including Dave Barry, Harvey Pekar, and Brad Bird) as well as some of Watterson’s closest friends and professional colleagues, and along the way reflects upon the nature of his own fandom and on the extraordinary legacy that Watterson left behind.

This is as close as we’re ever likely to get to one of America’s most ingenious and intriguing figures – and it’s the fascinating story of an intrepid author’s search for him, too.

Before I started reading, I saw some of the reviews. Honestly, they were quite divided. People either loved or hated the book. The fact that there was such polarization only made me want to dive right in.

Bill Watterson would ultimately win any game of hide and seek. He is extremely private. He never wanted the fame and public persona that came with writing the strip. He also never wanted merchandising money from his characters, which is why there is no official Hobbes doll (though that was pitched). He drew the strip because he loved drawing it. That’s all.

Martell speaks with friends, fellow cartoonists, and fans as he tries to give us a peak into the mystery life of Watterson. He is upfront at the beginning of the book and tells you what is to follow. So people who felt that there would be this magical interview with him in the book are only hating on it because it was not what they expected.

I found the book to be an interesting look at the artist, and the strip. It was interesting to hear of the evolution of it. It was also interesting to follow Watterson in the pre-Calvin days to see how he eventually came to write about Calvin.

There were a couple of slow parts, but all in all I enjoyed it. It made me want to go back and read some of those great old strips. If you are a Calvin and Hobbes fan, you will probably enjoy this.

4 out of 5 stars.